Just weeks before he will graduate with an MS in marketing from Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, Stephen McGee ’07 received a job offer unlike that of any of his classmates: he has been drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.

Stephen McGee ’07, who already holds a bachelor’s degree from Mays and will soon complete his MS in marketing, was selected in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

McGee, who was a starting quarterback for the Aggies for two years, was chosen in the fourth round of the NFL draft on April 26. Fellow Aggie Mike Goodson was also drafted and will play for the Carolina Panthers.

“I’ve had Stephen for an undergraduate course and four graduate courses, and I’ve been his advisor for the past two years. I’ve never had a student who had such little free time, but still managed to take care of all his course responsibilities so well,” said Stephen McDaniel, marketing professor and director of the MS-marketing program. “I also have never had a student who was more respectful and considerate of others. His nature is to always put other people first. He has truly endeared himself to all the students and faculty.”

McGee’s selection by the iconic Texas team is a dream come true for the athlete, who has admired the Cowboys since childhood. Much more than just a football player, McGee has also made academics and community service priorities during his five and half years at A&M. He holds a bachelor’s in marketing from Mays in addition to his nearly completed graduate degree. He has also been a frequent speaker in the community for youth and charity events, using his celebrity status to benefit others. For his efforts, McGee was recognized with the 2008 Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Bobby Bowden Athlete of the Year award. The national prize is given to one college football player each year that epitomizes the student-athlete persona: one who conducts himself as a model in the community, in the classroom, and on the field.

In 2008, McGee was recognized by his teammates with the Aggie Heart Award, the highest honor for an A&M football player. The award honored McGee for his effort, desire, determination, competitiveness, leadership, and courage.

As the world population rapidly depletes the supply of crude oil in places like Saudi Arabia, scientists and energy investors turn an ever-hopeful eye toward “unconventional oil,” such as heavy crude oils, tar sands, and oil shale. The evidence is obvious: these alternatives can produce a significant amount of energy and be harvested in the U.S., thus decreasing American energy dependency. However, innovative ways of mining and refining these resources are still too costly to be viable.

That may not be the case much longer, though, thanks to on-going research from Mays Business School at Texas A&M University.

Mays faculty members Antonio Arreola-Risa and William Stein from the Department of Information and Operations Management, as well as doctoral students Jeremy Brann and Jaime Luna-Coronado, have teamed with the Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company to examine hard-to-predict disruptions to a product’s supply chain. These “stochastic” variables, such as natural disasters, machine failure on the assembly line, and worker strikes, must be accounted for to determine the best supply chain model. Predicting these unpredictable elements is getting easier, as researchers build complex formulas to mitigate risks through strategic diversification.

The current research has focused on a specific technology, Shell’s heat delivery systems, but the model can be modified to accommodate different technologies, say the researchers. The findings will help Shell, and eventually other companies, keep costs low by minimizing disruptions to the supply chain to maximize output.

This research may have a deep impact on the economy, as Arreola-Risa says that it could allow Shell to produce energy from unconventional oil much more efficiently than in the past. As the cost of traditional fuel sources increases, there may soon come a time when capturing unconventional oil becomes a viable option for Shell.

This new technology will benefit the United States, as it helps move the oil-addicted country toward energy independence. It will also be a boon to the Texas economy, as it has the potential to create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of revenue in the state of Texas where Shell is headquartered.

“The courses of action suggested by the model could be very helpful during the supplier engagement process and contract design,” says Arreola-Risa. “The main objective of this development is to offer a general framework for the strategic design of supply chains in the presence of [unpredictable] supply disruptions.”

As the first person in his family to attend college, Ray Garcia ’90 has a deep appreciation for his education and the professional success that it has enabled. Today, as a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Garcia says he wants to give others the same shot at success: he has recently partnered with his firm to establish the Lisa and Ray Garcia ’90/PricewaterhouseCoopers Scholarship in Accounting with a $25,000 gift to Mays Business School at Texas A&M University.

“We appreciate the Garcias’ investment in our students,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. “Their generosity will provide a wonderful opportunity for a young man or woman to get a first-class education at Mays.”

Garcia has been with PwC since he graduated from A&M nearly 19 years ago. Currently a partner and the market assurance leader for the audit practice in his Houston office, Garcia believes it was good fortune as well as hard work that have enabled his success. Through his gift, Garcia intends to provide a measure of good fortune to current business students, but says it will be up to them to work hard and create their own success. With that combination, students have the potential to go far, he says. “I’m an example of thatâ€¦That’s why I think it’s important for me to give back.”

As a recruiter at A&M for his firm, Garcia enjoys staying active on campus and in the lives of students. He is a frequent guest lecturer in accounting classes and says that he appreciates the opportunity to give real-world application to the concepts students are learning in their coursework. Garcia says that through these roles, he is fortunate to be able to create relationships with young Aggies and then to watch them join his firm and continue to grow and mature professionally and personally. “Through my being active at A&Mâ€¦I’ve been able to touch a lot of lives,” he said. “It rejuvenates me each year as I meet new students in the recruiting process. It’s really something that keeps me young and alive.”

Garcia serves on the accounting board of advisors at Mays, as well as the boards of the Coastal Conservation Association and INROADS, an organization devoted to helping minority students find internships in business. He and wife, Lisa, have one daughter, Macy, who is a senior in high school. She hopes to attend A&M in the fall. The family resides in Clear Lake, Texas.

About PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 155,000 people in 153 countries across their network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.

“PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to the network of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.

Susan (Ernst)’86 and John McNamara ’86 found more than just an education that led to a great career in their accounting classes at Texas A&M University, they also found true love: the couple became acquainted when they were assigned to sit next to each other in Accounting 427. They married and both went on to positions with PricewaterhouseCoopers (then two separate firms â€” Coopers & Lybrand and Price Waterhouse) after graduation. Now, more than 20 years later, they are joining with their firm to honor education in the accounting department at Mays Business School at A&M by creating a $25,000 scholarship fund.

“I remember John and Susan as students, as does their Accounting 427 professor, Chris Wolfe, and I am not surprised with their success in work, family, and the community,” said James Benjamin, professor and head of the accounting department. “It is particularly meaningful to me to have former students give back to our program in recognition of the support they received from our faculty. Their scholarship fund will certainly make a difference for many future accounting students.”

After four years with PwC, Susan left her professional career to devote her full time to their family and volunteer work. She is active in the community, specifically at the local high school where their son attends. John is an audit partner in PwC’s Dallas office. The couple has moved several times with the firm where John has spent his entire career. He says he has stayed with PwC all these years because he enjoys the challenges each new day brings in his position.

John says his biggest obstacle while still a student at A&M was finding balance between work and school. “I was fortunate that I had several professors that really cared about the students and that made sure we were positioned for the future,” he said. “A&M gave me the opportunity to succeed and the foundation for a strong future.” It’s in gratitude for those opportunities that the McNamaras have chosen to give back to A&M, hoping to help current students achieve all that they can from a Mays education.

The McNamaras are pleased to be able to be part of the combined gifts from PwC, as several partners have joined with the firm to create a gift with the total impact of $275,000 for scholarships. “My wife and I have an obvious attachment to A&M and to the firm. That’s why we wanted to give back,” said John.

John is still present on the A&M campus, as he is part of PwC’s recruiting efforts on campus. He is also on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Dallas and the board of trustees for the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.

About PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 155,000 people in 153 countries across the network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.

“PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to the network of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.

Paul Kruse ’77 says he’d go to work everyday even if they didn’t pay him. This sounds like extreme dedication to his business, but once you hear about what Kruse does for a living, you’ll volunteer for his job, too: he is the CEO and president of Blue Bell Creameries, maker of the iconic Texas brand, Blue Bell Ice Cream. Kruse spoke to students at Mays Business School at Texas A&M University about his unusual path to the head position at Blue Bell and the challenges he faces in running a small business with national appeal.

Blue Bell Creameries CEO and president Paul Kruse ’77 shared stories and advice with Mays students over a bowl of his company’s Homemade Vanilla.

Wearing a business suit and a colorful jellybean necktie, Kruse shared ice cream trivia (did you know that Blue Bell invented the flavor cookies and cream?) as well as scenes from his life. A native of Brenham, Texas, Kruse grew up around the Blue Bell headquarters. Since 1919, his grandfather, father, and uncle have served consecutively as presidents of the company, but Kruse says that it was never his intention to follow in their footsteps. Kruse majored in accounting at A&M and went on to study law at Baylor University. Kruse operated a private law practice in Brenham for several years before he was elected to serve on the board of directors at Blue Bell in 1983.

In 1986, Kruse put his law training to work at the creamery when he took on the role of general counsel of Blue Bell. “My dad always said “get your own business.’ So I was practicing law for about five years when he said, “we need a lawyer at Blue Bell,'” said Kruse (his father, Ed, is a dairy science major from the class of ’49). “So I told him to go hire one.” Kruse turned down the offer from Blue Bell repeatedly before he finally accepted. “My dad said I was the hardest person he’d ever tried to hire,” he joked.

Though his entry into the business was reluctant, he now says, “there’s nothing else I want to do,” waxing eloquent on the joys of making such a beloved product. “It’s a really fun business,” he says. “Ice cream makes people smile.”

In 1991, Kruse was named vice president, and eventually chief executive officer and president in 2004. He commented that if he can stay on as president for another 10 years, Blue Bell will have been under Kruse leadership for a full century.

Since he joined the company, Blue Bell has expanded outside the state of Texas and has the current distinction of being the third best selling ice cream in the nation, with sales in 17 states. Students nearing graduation and looking at potentially moving out of Texas asked when they’d be able to buy Blue Bell products nationwide. Kruse said that they will have to be content with getting it in the territory Blue Bell occupies now (which extends from Miami to Kansas City), as expansion into new markets is a slow process. However, you can find Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla at most Outback Steakhouse restaurants.

Has the economic recession hurt business? Students asked. Quite the opposite, says Kruse. “We’re in uncharted territory. We’re selling A LOT of ice cream,” he said commenting that in a downturn, people are looking for comfort food and are more likely to indulge in something at home rather than spend more money on going out.

Kruse shared with students the basics of how to make ice creamâ€””it’s a complicated process,”â€”as well as his core business strategy: always look for the win-win in business relationshipsâ€””it’s got to be good for everyone or else it’s not going to last.” When it comes to finding one’s purpose in life, Kruse told students to follow their dreams, as it’s passion plus tenacity that equals success.

And in case you’re wondering, Kruse says that he eats ice cream everyday and has yet to get tired of it.

Mays Business School at Texas A&M University has received a $9 million planned gift from a generous former student who wishes to remain anonymous. When realized, these funds will provide hundreds of undergraduate scholarships for business students. This is one of the largest individual gifts in the history of Mays Business School and is the single biggest commitment to date in Texas A&M University’s “Spirit and Mind” campaign, the goal of which is to raise $300 million in scholarship support.

“We are tremendously grateful for this most generous commitment, which will touch the lives of so many Aggies,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. “In these trying economic times, it is wonderful to see one of our former students committing to providing educational opportunities for the next generation of business leaders. This gift takes the “Aggie Miracle,’ which is the process through which current students receive an opportunity because of the generosity of former students, to an unprecedented level.”

Mays Business School currently enrolls more than 4,000 undergraduate students across five disciplines and seven majors. In 2008, 456 of that 4,000 (about 11 percent) received scholarship assistance through Mays. Thanks to this anonymous gift, a much greater percentage of Mays students will find the road to academic success a little less bumpy, the way having been paved for them by the generosity of a former student.

The donors expressed their reason for this extraordinary gift: “We have been fortunate and blessed, and giving back to people and places that have helped along the way is one of the great joys in life. Texas A&M University and Mays Business School are responsible for a great deal of our blessings, and we want to help other future Aggies have that same benefit.”

In a world full of up-and-coming electronic products, how do you set a new item apart from its competition? An even greater challenge, how do you convince a group of executives from a top electronics firm that your marketing strategy is worth their time? These were the questions 60 MBA students from 23 universities across the U.S. faced on March 28 during the second annual Neeley Sales and Marketing Strategy Competition, sponsored by Sony Electronics. A group of MBA students from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School put their marketing prowess to the test and two took home prizes for their teams’ work.

Mays MBA student Eric Bruns was one of six students on the competition’s first-place team.

The event, hosted by Texas Christian University’s Neeley School of Business, placed MBA students in randomly assigned teams of six, which competed to determine the most effective strategy from conception to market for a potential Sony product. The students, who hailed from top universities such as TCU, SMU, Rice, Baylor, Yale, Purdue, Pepperdine, Northwestern, and Vanderbilt, presented their strategies to a group of Sony Electronics executives who served as judges for the competition.

The first place team, containing Mays MBA student Eric Bruns, took home $6,000 in addition to the competition’s top honor. In third place, Mays MBA student Gustavo Perez and teammates won $2,000. Other Texas A&M MBA competitors were Andrew Gonzales, Kathleen Sui and Arnav Sinha.

“This competition centered on a new product category and concept that has just emerged,” explains Dennis McTighe, senior vice president of sales for Sony Electronics Western Zone. “The teams presented features, price points, design, functionality, and a targeted go-to-market strategy.” The concept of a new product category, rather than one already in existence, set the competition apart from its predecessors.

“This competition enabled our participating MBA students to apply their technical knowledge of marketing theory and strategy and to put their effective communication skills into action,” said Kelli Kilpatrick, director of the Texas A&M MBA Program. “We are thrilled that our students were able to showcase their talents and were rewarded so well for their abilities. Our MBA students are high performers and they are learning from a top-notch group of peers and facultyâ€”it’s a winning combination.”

From work-life balance to earning the respect of colleagues in a male-dominated industry, Hallie Vanderhider, president and chief operating officer for Black Stone Minerals, knows the obstacles that come with establishing a careerâ€”and being a business woman. On April 2, Vanderhider addressed a class at Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, explaining the ins and outs of working in oil and gas, and the impact that Black Stone Minerals has had on both that industry and the private equity sector.

“In any career, you’ll have challenges and hard times,” Vanderhider told students. “You have to take those experiences and enable yourself to grow from them.”

Black Stone, based in Houston, owns about 18 million acres of minerals in the United States. The company possesses approximately 27,000 oil wells nationwide, with interests in every major onshore basin and a concentration in the upper Gulf Coast. Additionally, Black Stone Minerals specializes in private equity funds, working with large institutions such as Princeton University, Rice University, and Johns Hopkins University. Vanderhider has worked hard to establish herself in the male-dominated energy industry, where she continues to prove her business abilities.

“You don’t see a lot of women in this industry. It’s a small universe,” said Vanderhider. “It is a rare situation for a woman to make it to the top, and you’re always held to a higher standard.”

Vanderhider graduated from the University of Texas in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and began her career in public accounting. She worked in audit for Deloitte & Touche for four years, assisting clients in the oil and gas and banking industries. After leaving Deloitte & Touche, Vanderhider took a position as chief accounting officer for a former oil and gas client, developing several retail partnerships over a 10-year span. Vanderhider put her career on hold to have children, spending four years with a focus on motherly duties. But she hadn’t had enough of the corporate world yetâ€”when reading to her son’s first grade class one day, Vanderhider received a call from a former client asking her to take on a leadership role in his newly developed private equity firm. Vanderhider accepted the offer, becoming the chief investment officer of EnCap Investments, where she worked for 10 years. Finally, in 2003, Vanderhider joined Black Stone Minerals as the chief financial officer, taking on the presidency in 2006.

After her class presentation, Vanderhider met with a group of Business Honors students, discussing her career experiences and advice for entering the business world. The executive emphasized the likelihood of working hard for very long hours at the beginning of a career. “In any career, you’ll have challenges and hard times. You have to take those experiences and enable yourself to grow from them,” she said. Vanderhider encouraged students to target their passion first, and then figure out how to move up the corporate ladder. She also commented on the importance of mentors and building a strong network through personal relationships.

Vanderhider’s son, Michael, is a member of the class of 2009 and is currently involved in the Professional Program at Mays Business School.

Entrepreneur Dr. Nancy Chang says she never considered failure to be a possibility when she leveraged all she had to launch her own pharmaceutical company, Tanox, Inc., in 1986. Though it wasn’t until 2003 that the drug she set out to produce was approved by the FDA and a few years later before it found commercial success, Chang says she was never afraid of failure during the long wait.

“Entrepreneurs are people that can tolerate vagueness in life. We can’t see things in the future that clear, but we feel comfortable with thatâ€¦we are unafraid, fearless. We have an idea and we go for it,” said Chang, describing her journey from medical student to the leader of a successful business.

Chang is currently the president of Apex Enterprise, Inc. and managing director of OrbiMed Advisors LLC (Asia). She was recently recognized by the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship (CNVE) at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School with the Conn Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Award. Given in honor of C.W. and Dorothy Conn of Conn’s Appliances, this annual award is presented to a successful business leader that exemplifies entrepreneurial vision as well as managerial insight and business acumen. Past recipients have included L. Lowry Mays of Clear Channel Communications, Pizza Hut co-founder Frank L. Carney, Administaff co-founder Paul J. Sarvadi, and Jason’s Deli founder Joe Tortorice.

The goal of this award is to bring successful entrepreneurs into the classroom to interact with and inspire current students, says CNVE Executive Director Richard Lester. In keeping with that goal, Chang spoke to several student groups while on campus accepting her award. She motivated her audiences with her personal success story, which started in 1973 when she emigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan. Though she didn’t speak English and came from a culture that didn’t encourage women in the sciences, Chang went on to earn her PhD in biological chemistry from Harvard Medical School.

“I think America is such a wonderful country,” said Chang, who credits the opportunities in this country for much of her success.

Chang has spent the past 26 years working in the biotechnology field in a number of capacities, from educator (she taught at Baylor College of Medicine), to researcher, to leader in several biotech companies. In the 20 years that she owned and operated Tanox, Chang led the company to exponential growth as she addressed the unmet medical needs she saw in the areas of asthma, allergy, inflammation, and diseases affecting the human immune system.

For Chang, the pursuit for a drug that combats allergic diseases was never about getting rich. She knew from personal experience that there was a need for these kinds of medications, as the drug she developed would serve her own immediate family. When Tanox introduced Xolair, it was the first product available for treating those with allergy-related asthma.

Chang shared her personal success story with several student groups during her visit.

The product was a hit, and Tanox sold to Genentech, Inc. in August 2007 for nearly $1 billion.

When Chang sold the company, she planned to retire from the corporate world, but instead was approached by OrbiMed, whom she had worked with previously. Impressed by her business skills and knowledge of Eastern markets, OrbiMed asked Chang to head up the new branch of their business in Asiaâ€”an offer that for Chang was too good to refuse. Chang commented that Asian markets are becoming increasingly important in the pharmaceutical industry, as the cost of developing drugs in the U.S. is extremely highâ€”on average, a single drug takes 20 years and $1.5 billion to bring to market. Finding a sustainable business model that includes outsourcing some elements of production to Asia is a must, she says.

Chang has received numerous academic, national, and international awards for her contributions to the biopharmaceutical industry, including Houston Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2001, she was inducted into the Texas Science Hall of Fame. In May of this year, she will be honored with the Houston Technology Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Life Sciences. She is active on the boards of a number of organizations, such as the Federal Reserve Bank in Houston and Charles River Laboratories.

Chang shared that currently OrbiMed is working with a company that is developing a drug to treat neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer that affects children. It’s projects like this that keep her in the business. She is determined to improve the lives of patients, one great drug at a time, she says. “My passion is really about the product.”

As an alumnus, an accounting professional, and a longtime A&M recruiter for his firm, Billy M. Atkinson, Jr. ’72 has a unique perspective on Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. He says he continues to be amazed at the improvements he’s seen in the school and specifically the accounting program since his years as a student. That’s why Atkinson and his wife, Donnelle, also a former student, have partnered with PricewaterhouseCoopers to create a $25,000 scholarship fund for Aggie accounting students.

“Given all that Bill has done for our accounting program over the years, I was not surprised that he decided to make this generous commitment in support of students at Texas A&M University,” said Professor and Accounting Department Head James Benjamin. “Bill is one of only a few that have done so many things for our program for so long. He has recruited hundreds of our graduates for his firm, he has contributed financially to our program every year since his graduation, and he is the longest serving member of our accounting advisory council.”

Atkinson, who has been with PwC for 37 years, spent many years as the firm’s lead recruiter on the A&M campus. He also served as a partner mentor for new Aggie professionals, helping them settle into the CPA profession and culture of the firm. He says he is proud of the network of Aggies he’s helped to build at PwC, as well as the many who moved on to other successful career opportunities. “We’ve hired many high-caliber students who have become outstanding professionals and business persons. Many of them are partners in our firm today all around the world,” he said.

Atkinson has been involved with A&M in another professional capacity, as he led the team from PwC that conducted the audit for the A&M Foundation for five years through 2006. Atkinson says he was further encouraged to give to A&M when he saw from inside the way the foundation managed funds and respected the wishes of the donors in a credible and consistent manner. Atkinson has also stayed active on campus by serving on the accounting advisory council since 1982, the president’s advisory council since 1997 and the CBA Fellows Program advisory council at its inception in the 1980’s.

Well respected in the field of accounting, Atkinson has been a leader in his profession: he was president of the Houston Chapter of CPAs, which boasts 9,000 members, served on the 33,000 member Texas Society of CPAs board of directors and executive board, was appointed by Governor George W. Bush in 1999 to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, and was appointed by Texas Governor Rick Perry as chairman of that state board for the last three years of his six-year term. In 2004, he was elected to the board of directors of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, which leads all 50 state boards of accountancy in regulatory matters. He is currently vice chairman of that group and will assume its chairmanship in October of this year.

During his nearly four decades at PwC, Atkinson has been a successful leader and practice partner, working in audit and risk management. He plans to retire from PwC in two years. He says as he reflects on his successful career, it motivates him to give back to the accounting department in appreciation for all that his education has done for him, his family, and the many Aggies both at PwC, and elsewhere, he’s mentored.

Atkinson knows how challenging the accounting degree program is at A&M. He hopes the scholarship he, Donnelle, and PwC are providing will add an incentive for students to choose an accounting major, or to stick with it when the course work or financial needs become difficult.

About PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 155,000 people in 153 countries across the network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.

“PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to the network of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.